The big picture

The goal here is to explore riding a bike. All kinds of bikes in all kinds of places with all kinds of folks. I ride for fitness and recreation, mostly recreation. There are lost of ways to ride a bike. There are as many reasons to ride as there are riders,the possibilities are endless. So pick one and lets go ride. For the next several months I'll be preparing for the Houston to Austin MS150. After several consecutive years of riding the MS150, I skipped last year. I skipped last year because (for reasons known only to other smokers) I reacquired a smoking habit and got fatter and lazier. Now after 5 smoke free weeks, I'm rebuilding my website and struggling to get back in shape.

NOLA 2015

This is the start of the NOLA Social ride, the inimitable DATDOG. What a great place to start a ride. Exotic meat($$) hot dogs are served up up with typical NOLA flair and of course a full bar. This was also the very point where Fireball was introduced to the ride. I was determined to relax and relax I did. So much so in fact that that I "fell" off my bike 4 times that by the time we got back to the room that night. I did not fall in the Sir Issac Newton sense of the beloved apple but more along the lines of Chevy Chase doing Gerald Ford in slo-mo. At any rate, rider and steed survived the night mostly in tact and a good night was had by all. My handlers Arnold, Susan and Gene made sure that I got back to the room, otherwise I'd still be lost somewhere near NOLA.

This bike was stolen from me by some scum sucking parasite.
I hope he rots in Hell.

Well the site has languished for some years now. I have relocated to a new site host and am now rebuilding the site. I seem to have a bit more to say these days and I'm looking forward to getting back in the saddle. So please excuse the mess and the lack of cohesion as I get this put back together.

I have to vent here. I had a bike stolen out of my garage. I'm mostly over it. I took me literally years to put that bike together. Two of which were spent riding a ill fitting Trek for a thousand or so miles a year. I finally bought what I hoped would be a better fitting frame set. After fitting it with my Shimano Sora drive train and a Brooks saddle, I rode that configuration for two more years and another few thousand miles. Finally I found a Shimano 105 group on sale. I pried the cash out of the wallet and leaped into the world of the 10 speed cog set. I was in heaven. I had eliminated excuses for the bike. I had accumulated over 6,000 miles on that bike and some thieving scum stole it from me.He stole more than a bike. He stole the all the hours and the miles I spent on that bike. He stole my first Brooks saddle. I agonized for months whether to buy that saddle. It wasn't my favorite, but it represented years of scrimping and saving. I built both of those wheels. The thieving bastard stole all my hard work. I'm almost over it.

Houston-Austin MS150 New Riders

Training Suggestions

Training rides are not just for your legs. Use them to create your hydration strategy and how/what/when you can eat.Do ride two days consecutively. At least 30-60 miles in duration and at least once and preferably once a month.Don't forget your helmet they will not allow you to ride.Don't ride with headphones. Music is ok on your bike, but you need to be able to hear directions/cautions from othersAlways pass on the left. Always spit/snot to the right. Learn to change a flat OR at the very minimum, carry tools and spare inner tubes(2). Some kind soul will take pity and repair your flat. It's just plain rude to expect them you use their tube too.Call out road hazards. Cracks, holes, road kill, water bottles etc. Water bottles can be especially hazardous on the road.Ride at least one 70-100 mile training ride. Some fit/comfort issues won't appear until later in the ride. Once you've done a century the second one seems less daunting.Drink before you're thirsty, eat before you're hungryRide some hills somewhere. I'm a native Houstonian. Houston is incredibly flat. This is not a flat ride. Hills, like wind ,can get in your head. Practice on hills create a coping strategy.Weather plan on weather from 40 to 90 degrees.Wind you'll be riding a bike due west for 70-100 miles per day. Pray for any wind direction that is not west.